FotisBC has put out a request for energy developers to submit ideas for Indigenous led clean energy projects.
Image Credit: Submitted/FortisBC
September 10, 2024 - 2:00 PM
FortisBC wants to find Indigenous-led clean energy projects to meet the Southern Interior region’s growing need for electricity.
The energy provider is hoping to add 1,100 gigawatt hours of energy by 2030. For reference 1.21 gigawatts can power more than 10 million light bulbs.
FortisBC has put out a request for expressions of interest which means it’s looking for energy developers to submit plans with a focus on Indigenous led projects for clean, renewable energy like solar, wind, geothermal, and biogas power.
The company doesn’t have any particular projects in mind but FortisBC’s vice president of energy supply Joe Mazza told a news conference in Kelowna today, Sept. 10, they're trying to be “open and flexible.”
“We’ll be pursuing projects that are lower carbon or renewable,” Mazza said. “We want to hear from potential respondents and what kind of projects are out there.”
In order to meet the goal of up to 1,100 gigawatt hours in 2030 the minimum size of each project will be five megawatts. There are 1,000 megawatts in one gigawatt.
At the moment, FortisBC serves 190,600 people in the Southern Interior but that number is expected to grow over the next decade. BC Hydro is a much larger supplier of electricity serving more than 5 million people around the province.
READ MORE: FortisBC says all customers now see renewable natural gas on utility bills
The executive director of Clean Energy Association of BC, Kwatuuma Cole Sayers, said the emphasis on Indigenous led projects helps reach towards economic reconciliation while pursuing clean energy.
“Indigenous partnerships are key across Canada,” Sayers said. “For renewable energy projects there are better project outcomes.”
Sayers said there is growing interest from First Nations to play a bigger part in renewable energy projects.
FortisBC plans on updating its Long Term Electric Resource Plan in 2026 to include some more specifics about electricity infrastructure projects.
There are $157 million in additional infrastructure upgrades planned for the next three years. The plan includes infrastructure improvements in the Southern Interior like transformer upgrades at the FA Lee Terminal Station in Kelowna.
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